A recurring scorching matter inside the 3D printing business proper now could be whether or not or not it is actually essential to dry out spools of filament (materials) previous to initiating a print. Some imagine that moist filament is nothing greater than a delusion, however from my very own expertise in testing a number of the greatest 3D printers in the marketplace – I can affirm that working with damp filament is a really actual problem that may end up in poor print high quality.
Fortunately, there are a number of options obtainable to sort out damp filament, and I have been beta testing SUNLU’s newest AMS Heater, which is an improve particularly designed for individuals who personal Bambu Lab 3D printers with AMS (automated materials system) models, just like the X1 and P1 sequence. The heater is offered to preorder now, with orders anticipated to ship out in October and November.
Not too long ago, Bambu Lab has launched its AMS 2 Professional unit with built-in filament drying capabilities; nonetheless, this machine is fairly pricey (round £300), which is the place SUNLU’s improve turns out to be useful. For underneath £100, the SULU AMS Heater is basically a lid that attaches to the unique Bambu lab AMS (changing the usual lid), and presents highly effective filament drying with temperatures of as much as 70 levels Celsius.
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I will be working via my first impressions and experiences of utilizing this improve with my Bambu Lab X1 Carbon 3D printer, however for individuals who do not personal a Bambu Lab 3D printer but nonetheless wish to fight damp filament, see my information to Do you have to purchase a filament dryer? For extra info.
First impressions
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(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)
- Good design
- Very simple to put in
- Easy touchscreen controls
The pattern of the AMS Heater improve that I obtained from SUNLU seems to be a prototype, and the ultimate product ought to look somewhat completely different to the one you see beneath. I believe this heater seems to be fairly smooth, all issues thought of, though I do want it have been much less rectangular and had a slight curve to it like the unique lid for my Bambu Lab X1C has, and with extra transparency to assist it mix collectively higher.
The unit arrived with a form of darkish sticky wrap utilized across the complete casing, which might have been fantastic, had it been caught on with a bit extra care – there are a number of air bubbles across the casing consequently, which if I am trustworthy, is driving me somewhat crazy. I’d must fully strip off this wrap after I end reviewing the heater to straighten these out, however like I mentioned, that is only a prototype, and the completed unit ought to be extra sturdy and opaque, I imagine.
Assembling the AMS Improve could not have been simpler, and includes a easy 4-screw course of utilizing a provided Allen key and plastic adapters. Mainly, I simply needed to flip my Bambu Lab AMS the other way up, take out 4 small screws, take away the lid, connect the brand new heater improve rather than the unique lid, and put the 4 screws again in place. Voila.
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SUNLU despatched me a US plug for the heater, however fortunately, I had a spare UK determine 8 cable to swap it out with. After plugging within the unit, there is a purple on/off swap on the again to activate the heater, or you should use the button on the far proper of the show display screen to wake it up when switched on.
Efficiency
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(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)
- Max temps as much as 70C
- Intuitive interface
- Reasonably priced improve for Bambu homeowners
When you’re already aware of filament dryers, then there’s not an terrible lot of distinction between the performance of standalone machines in contrast with this AMS Heater improve. It really works by blasting scorching air into the AMS chamber through a double blower setup, capable of attain all 4 spools with ease. It makes a little bit of a low buzzing sound when drying, however I am really actually impressed with how quiet this dryer is.
I’ve discovered after just some days of use that this heater works exceptionally nicely at drying out filament, and may attain a formidable most temperature of 70 levels Celsius, and may run for a drying time of as much as 99 hours, must you select. The one draw back, if I am nitpicking, is that you would be able to’t management every filament slot individually, so all 4 rolls might be dried directly, no matter what number of rolls you have been hoping to dry out. Although I am unable to think about this being an issue for a lot of.
It makes use of an identical touchscreen management system that you’re going to discover on different SUNLU filament dryers (such because the S2 and S4 fashions) for filtering via materials temperature presets (PV) and adjusting the SV (set quantity) temperature as much as 70. It presents humidity management, shutting itself off as soon as it falls beneath 20% (a terrific power-saving function) and in addition has real-time temperature monitoring and can routinely activate if it detects humidity above 50% (how cool is that?).
(Picture credit score: Future)
There’s additionally an air vent on the high of the heater, which will be opened or closed. I believed this was a terrific contact, permitting customers to retailer filament contained in the chamber even whereas drying is just not energetic. The seal across the fringe of the lid matches snugly with the unique Bambu Lab AMS chamber for a safe seal, conserving out any outdoors moisture.
I believe the SUNLU AMS Heater improve is a wonderful possibility for Bambu clients who wish to improve their present AMS unit for a decrease price, however what is the injury? Proper now, it retails for an early hen value of $109.99 / £99.99, although it can normally price round $119.99 / £109.99 when it formally rolls out.
I believe this value is a steal if I am trustworthy, contemplating that the majority standalone 3D filament dryers (excluding Creality’s SpacePi X4) can solely dry one or two spools of filament at a time for the same value. This does not essentially align with Bambu Lab’s AMS, which is primarily wanted for multicolour 3D printing. Having the ability to print and dry on the similar time is a luxurious that not all 3D printers supply, however this SUNLU improve makes it a chance for lots lower than choosing Bambu Lab’s AMS 2 Professional unit.
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